Test 1: Being the freak I am, I lined up two identical 32″ HD Ready TVs. Both with Battlefield 2: Modern Combat loaded. The only difference, was that one was a PS2 version, and one an Xbox 360 version. The differences were startling. Realistic fire, smoke, fog, bullets, physics, sounds and movements in the 360 made the experience all that little bit extra. The PS2, great as it is, can only perform these tasks half aswell. The textures are less smooth and when flying in helicopters, background scenery flashes in and out of view. With the 360, none of this ever happens, making the game more enjoyable. I’m not going to tell you all the tech specs of the 360, because if you want to know them, you can simply head over to Amazon or Best Buy to check for yourself.

Test 2: Burnout Revenge is a classic game, one of mayhem and high-speed destruction. Obviously, the PS2 has trouble rendering the foliage and such, but the 360 has no such problems. Just to test this out, I hurled two identical cars off two identical cliffs off two identical TVs. PS2 result, nasty, blurred tesxtures of the mountain side. 360 result, well rounded, well shaded, well rendered, realistic surroundings, even when falling at high-speeds.

In other words, the 360 wins all round. I’ve tried and tested the PS2’s online functions, all of which are, no offense to Sony, abysmal. The Xbox however, has always retained the crown of online gameplay, even if the monthly fee is a bit off putting. Hours of extra fun can be squeezed from games online, and this really is, in my opinion, the 360’s biggest advantage. Will things change however? We’ll find out this holiday season with the PS3 and Nintendo Wii hitting our shelves!

Okay. You’ve read the review above, and I sincerely hope you like it. I spent 3 hours having fun trying and testing them games, so you best have liked it. Who am I though? Well, I’m Delta Taph, age 12 from Tech.co.nr and from now on, I’m going to be working around TheBlogJoint.com on and off, writing videogames reviews and such. First though, perhaps you’d like to know a little bit about me. I’m very weird, and am very good at all my subjects, particularly Maths, English, Science and IT. For me, blogging started off in late July, more as an idea than a real, serious money-making activity. I though that, as I loved technology, gadgets, computers and the internet so much, why not start my own website about them? The idea quickly formed and I hurried over to the folks at Google and grabbed myself a Blogger account. Having been going for quite a few months now, my website, Tech.co.nr is now about as good as Blogger can take it. I’m saving for a dedicated server, on which I can run Wordpress and to do this, I’m blogging for quite a few big names. Profy.com are my main employers. You should check them out my articles there some time. I wrote one about getting lots of visitors to your website, which has gone down very well over there. Seems appropriate since TheBlogJoint is often the centre of attention when it comes to SEO.

Abandonia is the answer!

With an ever growing library, Abandonia is a an abandonware website that is dedicated to classic DOS games. Updated every day, you’ll find new downloads, game reviews, hints, tips, original box scans, original music, message boards, and more nostalgia a vh1 special.

What is Abandonware?

Wikipedia says, “Abandonware is computer software which is no longer being sold or supported by its copyright holder. Alternately, the term is also used for software which is still available, but on which further support and development has been deliberately discontinued.” Since the software is no longer sold or supported, the copyright holders are not directly harmed in any way. This is why abandonware sites are, for the most part, ignored by the law. The distribution of copyrighted software however is, and will allways be, illegal.

Boot disk?! BOOT THIS!

It’s funny how as technology advances, our roots get rolled over. Have you ever tried to load a DOS game on a computer that was made after 1995? You’re sure to have a migrane waiting for you. Well, Abandonia has gotcha covered. Downloads available such as DOSbox, a DOS emulator that now supports over a thousand games.

“In last few years only solution was dual boot with compatibility drivers for sound and graphic cards, and huge basket of luck. There was no real and effective DOS emulator on the scene. Then DOSBox appeared. DOSBox is completely free of charge and open source DOS emulator for modern operating systems like Windows (2000 and XP), BeOS, Linux, MacOS X…”
- DOSBox [programs]

If you’re feeling particularly old school, or can’t seem to get DOSbox to work, you can download the Abandonia boot disk, an executable file will make a boot floppy that has been especially optimized for best DOS game performance.

Editors Pick

Here are a few of my favorite games that are available at Abandonia.

life and death

hugo’s house of horrors

prince of persia

www.abandonia.com